Chapter 3

Xiao Qiu bent down on the horse, extended his right hand, and said in a hollow voice, "Get up, come with me."

The town of Yelin looked like a newly completed folk painting, suddenly falling into a pause. The residents in the distance, who had been startled by the panicked horse, gradually regained their senses, stretching their necks to watch the entrance of the Shen family’s house. The crowd around the flower sedan chair was still in a state of incredible surprise, the sound of hooves still echoing in their ears, and they hadn’t yet understood what had happened.

The small figure in front of the sedan chair seemed to be frozen in shock, motionless.

A sense of panic began to rise in Xiao Qiu’s heart. He thought that Fangfang hadn’t heard him, or if she had, she hadn’t accepted it. If so, he would become the biggest joke in town, one that he wouldn’t be able to shake off for ten years.

If she doesn’t get on the horse, I’ll run away myself, Xiao Qiu decided in that moment.

The hesitation of the small figure actually lasted only a moment. Fangfang lifted the red veil, revealing a face that Xiao Qiu had no memory of.

He was stunned; the last time he had seen Fangfang was two years ago.

Fangfang’s movements became swift and decisive from that point on. She lifted the hem of her dress, stepped onto the sedan chair’s pole, and used it to leap up. With her other hand, she grabbed Xiao Qiu’s hand and nimbly jumped behind him, straightening her clothes and sitting firmly.

"Go!" Xiao Qiu shouted.

The chestnut horse, as if sensing the significance of this gallop, raised its head and neighed, running towards the sunset at the end of the road.

All of this happened very quickly. By the time Liu the matchmaker had pulled herself up from the sedan chair, Xiao Qiu had already run half a mile. She put her hand to her brow and looked far away at the horse and the two people, saying, "The new bride has been taken away."

Shen Lao Ye, supported by two servants, regained his composure and repeated in a daze, "The new bride has been taken away?"

Liu the matchmaker turned around and nodded solemnly, "Taken away."

The groom, Shen Jia’s eldest son, vaguely realized that something was missing, and he fell to the ground, wailing, "Taken away! Taken away!"

Erguan, dressed in new clothes, ran to the middle of the road, looking far away at the chestnut horse. Though he was an enemy of Xiao Qiu, he was now filled with admiration, jumping several feet high and shouting, "Good job, Xiao Qiu!"

Shen Lao Ye was startled by the shout, punched Erguan on the head, and rushed across the street, pulling out Old Qiu from the crowd, spitting on his face, "That’s your son, right? He took away my new bride!"

Old Qiu was frightened and stammered, "He’s still a child. When he comes back, I’ll beat him severely..."

"Wait for him to come back?" Shen Lao Ye’s face turned a liver color. The bride might be found, but the loss of face could never be recovered. "I’ll report it to the authorities! I’ll catch him and put him in jail!"

The residents of Yelin had never seen Shen Lao Ye lose his composure so dramatically, and they were as frightened as Old Qiu, all thinking that Xiao Qiu had really caused a big problem this time.

Xiao Qiu couldn’t hear Shen Lao Ye’s threats; the chestnut horse had already run far and was now slowing down.

Xiao Qiu usually grazed and played in the woods on the east side of town, rarely coming to the west. The gentle slope not far ahead marked the western boundary of Yelin, and beyond it was a different world.

The more he thought, the more confused he became, not understanding why he had done this. Behind him, Fangfang was firmly hugging his waist, more real than anything else in front of him.

"Once we pass this ridge, it won’t be Yelin anymore," he said, making small talk.

"Uh-huh," the voice behind him was very soft, and the arms around his waist relaxed a lot.

Going up the slope, then down, Xiao Qiu felt a wave of panic again.

"Who are you?" Fangfang asked.

"Xiao Qiu, don’t you remember me?" In addition to the panic, Xiao Qiu felt a bit disappointed.

Fangfang didn’t answer. After a while, she asked again, "Where are you taking me?"

"I don’t know." Apart from escaping Yelin, Xiao Qiu hadn’t thought about anything else.

"Where will we sleep tonight?"

"I don’t know."

"What about in the future? Where will we live?"

"I don’t know." Xiao Qiu felt suffocated because he hadn’t considered any of these things.

"Then what will we eat?"

Xiao Qiu was annoyed by the questions and said irritably, "We’ll eat the northwest wind."

There was no sound from behind for a while. Xiao Qiu was feeling guilty when the arms around his waist suddenly tightened a bit, and Fangfang said softly, "Then we’ll eat the northwest wind."

As the sky grew darker, Xiao Qiu’s panic disappeared. "I’ll find something to eat, then find a place to sleep. We’ll continue tomorrow, wherever... we’ll see, but I won’t let you go hungry."

Xiao Qiu thought about the skills he had learned while grazing in the woods and felt that it wasn’t a big problem.

"Uh-huh," Fangfang said softly, without asking any more questions.

No one was chasing them. Yelin had only a dozen horses, and they had all disappeared.

After walking silently for a while, Fangfang suddenly said, "The house ahead belongs to Grandma Feng. We can stay there."

Xiao Qiu had seen the light ahead long ago and said in surprise, "Is that the old crazy woman who’s not allowed to enter the town?"

"Grandma Feng isn’t a crazy woman. She often goes into town to buy things. She’s very nice, but she lives outside the town because she likes peace and quiet."

Xiao Qiu didn’t argue. He had heard stories about Grandma Feng since he was a child, and they were a bit scary. For the rest of the journey, he was thinking of an excuse to avoid entering her house.

However, as the light grew from a dot to a warm glow, Xiao Qiu gave in. Even staying in the old crazy woman’s house was better than sleeping in the wild. He was tired, and he thought Fangfang must be even more tired.

Xiao Qiu dismounted first, then reached out to help Fangfang down. The second time he looked at her face, it still felt unfamiliar, but this might be due to the darkness.

Fangfang lowered her head, moved her numb legs, and led the way to the wooden gate.

This was a small courtyard nestled in lush vegetation, with plants climbing over the fence, almost obscuring any sign of human presence. If not for the light shining from the courtyard, passersby might not have noticed the three thatched houses.

In the middle of the courtyard stood a wooden pole as thick as a bowl, with a small oil lamp sitting on top. Xiao Qiu immediately took this unusual setup as evidence of the "crazy woman." Just as he was about to call out to Fangfang, she had already quickly circled the oil lamp and rushed to a person at the door of the thatched house, crying, "Grandma Feng."

In the dim light, a face appeared, full of wrinkles but extremely kind. Xiao Qiu’s tension and vigilance disappeared immediately. This couldn’t possibly be a crazy person. He slowly walked in, with the chestnut horse following behind.

"Fangfang? Why are you here in the middle of the night? Weren’t you supposed to get married today?" Grandma Feng was short, about the same height as the ten-year-old Fangfang. Her voice was muffled, as if she had lost a few teeth.

Fangfang cried, very sadly, and spoke in a broken, muffled voice. Xiao Qiu stood awkwardly in the courtyard, the chestnut horse sniffing around his neck, giving him some comfort.

Grandma Feng hugged Fangfang and warmly invited the two inside.

Sitting on a stool, Fangfang finally stopped crying. "I don’t want to marry into the Shen family. Xiao Qiu... Xiao Qiu saved me."

The room was lit by an oil lamp, brighter than outside. Grandma Feng smiled and looked at Xiao Qiu. "Hmm, a good young man, and quite handsome. Why did you save Fangfang?"

Xiao Qiu’s face turned red. "Nothing, just... Fangfang didn’t want to marry into the Shen family."

"Xiao Qiu, Xiao Qiu." Grandma Feng repeated the name. "A few years ago, wasn’t it you who held Fangfang’s hand and told everyone she was your wife?"

Both of their faces turned red, and they lowered their heads, not looking at each other.

Grandma Feng laughed even more heartily, her eyes narrowing into slits. She wobbled over to bring half a pot of rice porridge and a few dishes, muttering about how pitiful it was. Fangfang wanted to help, but she didn’t accept.

Xiao Qiu was really hungry. At first, he was somewhat reserved, but soon he couldn’t pretend anymore and started drinking the porridge in large gulps. After one bowl, he poured another. Just as he was about to thank Grandma Feng, there was a sudden sound of rapid hooves outside, followed by a loud voice shouting, "Grandma Feng, did you see two children on a horse pass by?"

Xiao Qiu’s heart tightened. The chestnut horse was still outside, easily visible to the pursuers.

Grandma Feng smiled at the two, indicating that they shouldn’t be afraid, and turned to go out, asking at the door, "Who is it?"

The same loud voice replied, "It’s me, Shen Lao Si from the town... whoa... a stubborn donkey, I’ll slaughter you when I get back..."

"Oh, you mean Fangfang?"

"Yes, yes, she got married today and was taken away at the entrance."

"I saw her, she was still wearing her bridal clothes, and she ran past, like a streak of smoke."

The sound of hooves grew distant, and the person left, not just Shen Lao Si.

Grandma Feng returned to the house after a while, still smiling. "Don’t worry, you’ll be safe in my house."

"My horse..." Xiao Qiu was confused.

"Your horse is eating grass behind the house." Grandma Feng comforted him, then poured him another bowl of porridge. She sat opposite him, affectionately hugging Fangfang, and asked the young man, "Where do you plan to take Fangfang?"

Xiao Qiu was somewhat prepared, quickly swallowing the food in his mouth, and said eagerly, "Far away. I can graze horses, or do something else. I can learn anything. Anyway... anyway, the Shen family can’t find us."

Grandma Feng nodded approvingly. "Hmm, you have a plan. Are you willing to listen to my advice?"

Xiao Qiu no longer found the old woman scary. The rumors in town were clearly not true. "Of course, I’ll listen to you."

"Hehe." Grandma Feng turned to look at the little girl in her arms, her face full of wrinkles that could make anyone get lost. "In any small town, the two of you will stand out. I suggest you go to Xijie City. Do you know it?"

"That’s our capital," Xiao Qiu said quickly, not wanting to seem ignorant.

"Yes, it’s a large city. Follow the main road, passing through Linhe Town, Xiaer Fort, and Daer Fort. It should take about a month to get there. On horseback, it will be faster."

"Xijie City, a month." Xiao Qiu repeated numbly, feeling that it was really far, like a journey to the edge of the sky.

Grandma Feng noticed the young man’s fear and smiled even more. "I’ll write down an address for you. When you get to Xijie City, find my old sister. She will help you settle down. When you grow a few more years and can get married, you won’t have to fear the Shen family anymore."

The two of them blushed together. Xiao Qiu stammered, not daring to speak, not knowing how to describe his true feelings: he just wanted to save Fangfang, not to marry her.

Grandma Feng arranged for the two to sleep in separate rooms, then went out to the courtyard alone, adding oil to the solitary lamp, looking around, and sighing, "Go, go, the farther the better. Everything is predestined."

Her tone was as if she were talking to herself, but a response came from a corner of the courtyard, "If it’s predestined, why interfere? You know our rules."

Grandma Feng turned to look at the blue-robed Taoist in the shadows, her face still smiling without a trace of surprise. "Strictly speaking, I didn’t do anything. These two children ran out of Yelin on their own. That doesn’t count as breaking the rules, does it?"

"Ah." The blue-robed Taoist sighed deeply. "I just don’t understand. The house is about to collapse, and you’re spending your time on two ants."

"An easy task, why not do it?" Grandma Feng’s smile grew even wider. "Is the rumor true? A large number of demon seeds have escaped?"

The blue-robed Taoist nodded. "They’re not far from here. Haven’t you noticed anything living here for so long?"

Grandma Feng glanced at the solitary oil lamp in the courtyard, saying nothing. As long as the lamp was there, she had nothing to fear.

The blue-robed Taoist took a step back, almost disappearing into the shadows, and said solemnly, "The Dao fire will not be extinguished."

Grandma Feng put away her smile, straightened her body, and instantly grew taller. "The Dao fire will not be extinguished."

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